The present invention generally relates to video cameras and video camera methods of operation. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to a video camera and a motion detection method for detecting motion in video generated by the video camera.
Traditional video cameras have been configured to detect motion in video of observed scenes. For example, a video camera that provides surveillance of an observed scene may be configured to detect motion of objects in the video of the observed scene. A home owner, for example, operating the video camera is likely to be interested in knowing whether various objects are moving in a video of an observed scene. A home owner might be particularly interested whether a person, such as a burglar, is moving through the home owner's home while the home owner is at work or away on vacation and whether the home owner's video camera can detect the person's movement in the home. If the video camera detects motion, the video camera may be configured to begin recording video of the observed scene and might be configured to send a message to the home owner to direct the home owner to monitor the video collected by the video camera. For example, if the video camera is web enabled or is configured to send video to a web-enabled computer for access of the video via the web (e.g., the Internet), the home owner may be able to collect the video from the web while at work and observe the video. The home owner, via observation of the video, may determine whether further action needs to be taken based on the motion of objects observed in the video (e.g., whether an unexpected person is moving in the video).
Traditional video cameras typically have relatively limited processing power and therefore have limited capability for detecting motion. To simplify motion detection, traditional video cameras have been configured to execute motion detection methods using various video parameters that are generated during video encoding. For example, some traditional video cameras use the motion vectors and the value of the sum of accumulated differences (SAD), which are calculated during video encoding, to determine the motion of an object in an observed scene. These traditional video cameras may determine that motion of an object has occurred in a video, but may falsely report that motion of an object has occurred in a video. That is, traditional video cameras may determine that an object is in motion when no motion of the object actually occurred.
New video cameras and new video camera operation methods are needed for detecting motion of objects in video of an observed scene to reduce or eliminate the false determination of the motion of an object in an observed scene.